The F-22 fleet has been produced in a number of configurations, but the Air Force will ultimately consolidate it to just two, says Lockheed Martin F-22 program manager George Shultz. When the increment 3.2 software is installed, most F-22s will be brought up to “a common standard,” Schultz told reporters during a media tour of the Raptor production line in Marietta, Ga., last week. Some early F-22s “are harder to do” and will not be included, he said. The configuration changes will be worked in when F-22s go into depot for modifications. (For more from Schultz’s comments, read MADL Integration on F-22 May Slip.)
The Department of the Air Force wants to launch a construction boom with its fiscal 2027 budget, more than doubling its request over 2026, according to budget documents.